Chargers Draft UConn's Reyes

San Diego took the defensive lineman in the middle of round two of the NFL Draft.

UConn's Kendell Reyes is headed West.

The San Diego Chargers selected the defensive lineman in the middle of the second round of the NFL Draft Friday night.

Reyes' selection with the 49th pick overall came one year after the Chargers used their first-round pick on defensive end Corey Liuget. Liuget had a quiet rookie season.

"We want to improve the front seven. We thought he fit with what we like to do," said player personnel director Jimmy Raye, who assumes the public face of the front office during the draft. "We're just trying to add good players. We like the players we have in our mix already but we just want to keep adding to the front and try to get better."

Known mainly for his run-stuffing ability, Reyes had a career-high 46 tackles and was third on the team with 4½ sacks last season.

He had 32½ tackles behind the line of scrimmage in his career, 10th on the school's all-time list.

"I was blessed to have a quick first step," Reyes said. "I'm definitely ready to work with the coaches and be able to take my pass rushing ability to the next level and hopefully make a difference when it comes to the pass rush this year."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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